Edd’s MANtra: Rihanna Knows How To Pick ‘Em

Late last week, word spread that her new beau, LA Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, has a lot in common with Chris Brown. TMZ said Kemp’s ex-girlfriend Felisha Terrell, had filed a restraining order against him for, you guessed it, being violent. Kemp’s agent denied it, of course:


Matt dated Felisha about two years ago and decided to end their relationship. She chose to file a complaint and shortly thereafter, on her own accord, decided to drop it based on the fact that the statements made within were false. She has very recently said that she has no issue whatsoever with Matt and that she and Matt consider this to be a nonissue. Matt Kemp is a consummate Midwestern gentleman who has never displayed any act of violence towards a woman.”




And Terrell’s representative corroborated his story:


“During the course of the relationship there was a restraining order filed by Felisha but it had nothing to do with domestic violence…to be clear, Matt was NEVER physically abusive to Felisha, nor did she fear for her life. The restraining order was subsequently vacated. They both have moved on separately but remain amicable.”


But here’s where things get tricky. Terrell’s lawyer came out with his own statement, crying foul:


“The temporary restraining order was granted because of an actual and real threat. The matter was quietly resolved until Mr. Kemp’s agent began making false public statements…my hope is that Ms. Terrell tells her story, because it is a compelling tale of betrayal, abuse and survival.”


So essentially, Mr. Lawyer Guy is saying there was a real abuse issue here, Terrell is just denying it. Sound familiar? That caused Rihanna fans to go nuts, fearing that she’s jumped from one abuser to another.


Calm down.


I’ll be the first to admit that something seems fishy between Kemp and his ex. But let’s say for the sake of argument that there was an abuse issue in the past. The key word is past. Perhaps they’ve moved on, hence their refusal to go into detail about it. Hopefully Kemp used that as a learning experience and is now a better man. It’s unfair to hold someone’s past over them forever.


And as for Rih Rih, she has to grow up sometime. Her head is the size of a small farm animal – there is plenty of room for a brain in there. I hope that she has learned enough from last year’s drama to remove herself from abusive situations. If not, sadly, she’ll have to deal with the consequences.


But it’s her choice. We can’t make the decision for her.